Emma Gibbens

I am married to Mark and we have a Daughter called Beatrix who is 3 years old and a son called Jayk who is 20 (I’m Jayk’s wicked step mother).

We live in a little cottage in the middle of nowhere, which is good as I tend to talk a lot and loudly. (Sorry for those who know me, I have tried very hard to not talk as much and to be quieter but I have found this impossible so we just thought it would be best to move).

We have a cat called Rambo but he lives with my parents, he loves it there and now ignores me (he needs to remember I pay his pet insurance).

I am also a director of a design and build company so I am always busy!

1.What got you into writing / what made you sit down and actually start something? I have always enjoyed reading, and I used to tell people story’s that have happened to me and made it funny, even if it was a serious story and so many people told me to write scripts or do stand up, but I didn’t want to do this, so I started writing comedy diaries and then novels.

2.What is a usual writing day like for you, how is it structured?
Hahahaha a usual writing day for me is either in my cellar locked away covered in post it notes with the coffee pot brewing and not surfacing until the evening, or venturing out to a coffee shop to be fed and watered all day to create masterpieces!

3.Do you get writers block? If so, how do you overcome it?
Yes always, and I usually get it when I have to many distractions i.e the tv, radio or family about. So to overcome it I go places to zone out. i.e. the cellar, the beach, the park, coffee shops or even on the boat.

4.Are you a plotter or panster when it comes to writing a story?
I just go with it, I have post it notes with sections of chapter headings and that will set the scene for the next chapter. I have to write it pen to paper and then type it once I have finished pen to paper.

5.Are you traditionally or self-published, and what was the publishing process like for you? Any advice to aspiring authors?
I have self-published, because I have done all the hard work and I love marketing and sales (which Is my background) which means I get 100% royalties. I was offered a contract by a publisher and they were offer me 10% royalties and they get all the rights, so I decided against that and it was a fantastic move. Really look into self-publishing houses as some are too good to be true and still ask for money which you don’t need to do. It took me a whole year to decide who I wanted to use and trust.

6.What has been your highlight since becoming a published author? Having my book in Waterstones is my biggest achievement, I was also invited to the essex fashion week (VIP) which was fantastic being papped with my book. I have been invited to lots of places and met amazing people.

7.Can you share a little of your most recent book with us? And any other books of yours, if you wish. It is called pregnancy & piles and its about a lady called Jane who is still coming to terms with being pregnant. She can’t be the only one who diagnosis’s herself with everything wrong, relying on her mothers knowledge, crying, eating loads, swearing loads, sleeping loads, gaining weight and discovering she has piles.

The 3rd book to the diaries will be out next year, I am also working on 2 novels at the moment and will also be out next year.

8.What audience is your book targeted for, and what genre does it come under?
My diaries are aimed at woman but a lot of men have read the books and love them, as it is like reading their wives/girlfriends/sisters diaries…..

9.Apart from writing, what do you do in your spare time?
We are quite an active family we are always up to something, we love surfing, walking, reading, nature, theatre, swimming and travel around. I get a lot of my writing ideas when we visit new places.

10.What tip would you give to new authors when trying to build a fan-base / get followers and market their books?(What to do and what not to do.)
Just be yourself, be proud of what you do. I am on Instagram (emmagibbens), twitter (@minxemoo and @GibbensEmma) and now wordpress (emmajgibbens) I involve everyone as much as I can, I do competitions to win my books etc.

11.How long on average does it take you to write a book? My 1st book took me 5 years, but on average it takes me 16months to write a book and see it in print. My books are availiable from completelynovel.com/ amazon/waterstones